Urine to Fertilizer: Europe's Potty Revolution

Specialized toilets in Paris are diverting urine, which is then processed by VunaNexus into a certified mineral fertilizer named Aurin. This innovation offers a sustainable alternative amidst soaring fertilizer prices and threats to global food security, exacerbated by recent conflicts.

The technology, developed by Swiss startup VunaNexus, treats urine to remove micropollutants and concentrate essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. After pasteurization, distilled water is recycled, and a liquid fertilizer emerges. Aurin is approved for all plants by Swiss and French authorities and is being tested in Paris, Lausanne, and Zurich.

Initially seen as unconventional, the approach gained traction as conflicts exposed the fragility of traditional fertilizer supply chains. The UN has warned of widespread hunger due to these market shocks. VunaNexus's system is installed in buildings in Geneva and is being rolled out in a new eco-neighborhood in Paris.

Born from a decade-old research project in South Africa called Vuna (Valorisation of Urine Nutrients in Africa), the technology aimed to create affordable, urine-based fertilizer. While early trials showed promise, logistical costs proved challenging for widespread viability.

Currently, producing nitrogen from urine is more expensive than synthetic fertilizers, but VunaNexus believes scaling production and receiving payment for wastewater treatment services can make it competitive. Efforts are ongoing in Durban, South Africa, to establish urine collection systems from public spaces and old treatment plants to produce fertilizer.

VunaNexus ultimately seeks to make Aurin an affordable global fertilizer standard, aiming to bring the technology back to its origins in places like Durban, thereby creating a closed-loop system that benefits local economies and agriculture.